Use Your Illusion
by caeseria
Summary: Ten years have passed since the end of the Forth Shinobi World War. Iruka and his genin team are assigned a C-rank mission to the Land of Rivers, however things aren't as straightforward as they seem.
1. Chapter 1

Iruka leapt from branch to branch through the treetops, making sure to channel just enough chakra to his feet to keep him stuck to the wet bark. For the last hour it had been drizzling; a light mist of rain that made the surface of the trees greasy and easy to slip on.

He paused above his enemy and crouched down to assess the situation. The battle raged in the distance; the sound of men screaming and enemy jutsu had numbed Iruka's hearing. He'd long ago stopped cringing at the sound of a fellow shinobi dying, gasping out his last breaths through tattered lungs.

And now Madara's moon hung full in the sky above the battlefield and the forest, his _Infinite__ Tsukuyomi_ awaiting the final stages of completion.

Panting softly for breath, Iruka took a moment to pluck loose a couple of senbon that were stuck in his leg. They hadn't done much damage and didn't appear to be poisoned, merely the last, desperate gamble of a dying enemy. Iruka had slit his throat without wavering, simply a quick, necessary gesture – one he'd taught his older classes many times.

Silently, Iruka pulled free a new, sharp kunai from his pouch and gripped it tightly in his hand, blade forward for attack. The enemy ahead wasn't paying much attention and obviously thought he was hidden safely from view in the undergrowth and ferns that littered the ground in this part of the forest. He obviously hadn't counted on an attack from above.

It began to rain, the drizzle of the past few hours giving way to a hard, cold downpour that prickled like hundreds of tiny needles piercing Iruka's skin.

Iruka paused, assessing the situation. The shinobi below him was running through a series of hand signs; it had to be one of the longest sets of seals Iruka had seen to date. Iruka moved until he could see past the branch blocking his view of the forest ahead. He could see movement, the flash of shinobi fighting in the distance, the occasional jutsu released. Gripping the kunai, Iruka dropped straight downward from the branch, the kunai held point down. He let gravity and his body weight add strength to his thrust, and he felt the initial resistance of bone give way until the point sunk deep into his enemy's neck and shoulder. Warm blood welled up around Iruka's hand, making his grip on the handle of the kunai slick. He felt his fingers slip.

The enemy shinobi dropped to the ground like a stone and Iruka fell with him, rolling to the side. He felt the instant the dying shinobi released a jutsu successfully; he felt the air swell and the pressure was enough to make him wince. His ears popped. There was a sudden absence of sound as though everything was muffled and then the ground rose beneath Iruka's feet, the earth blasting out in all directions. Small rocks, stones and dirt exploded violently in a muddy rain, throwing Iruka backward. He twisted his body and raised his hands to protect his face.

Iruka felt the impact when his back hit the tree trunk. He definitely felt it when his head snapped back from the force of the explosion and slammed into the trunk as well. He slid to the ground, panting, surprised he'd managed to survive whatever jutsu the shinobi had released. It had been like... like a bomb of silence. It had seemed to suck the sound from the area, and then expel it back in one giant explosion.

The fighting in the distance had stopped; Iruka wasn't sure if the other ninja he'd seen had also been caught in the blast. _I__ should__ have __been__ quicker,_ Iruka thought. _I__ should __have __ignored __my __inquisitiveness __and __just __acted. __I __almost __killed __myself__ and __my __fellow __shinobi __because __of __curiosity._

He forced himself to stand up, to move and check himself over for injuries. He wiped mud from his face and let the rain wash some of it clear. He still had all his limbs and he could walk. He could hold a kunai. He could still do the Five Hokages' bidding and kill.

Ignoring the slight dizziness from the bump on his head, Iruka pulled out another kunai and headed back toward the center of the impact, intending to search the dead enemy shinobi for weapons. The rain lashed down and the sky seemed to darken. Yet despite the rain, Iruka could still see the bloated full moon hanging in the sky. He wondered if he was already under Madara's jutsu, because Iruka couldn't figure out how he could see the moon while the clouds obscured the stars and the sky. And if this was Madara's genjutsu, it wasn't a new, perfect world by any means.

Iruka forced himself to move, to put one foot in front of the other and ignore his aching body. The rain soaked through his clothes and he felt his ponytail droop but didn't have the energy to fix it. When he reached the body of the enemy who had cast the jutsu, Iruka stood and gaped open-mouthed at the destruction. The silence jutsu had created a massive crater in the forest floor. Amongst the debris of broken trees and earth, Iruka could see the occasional body lying on the sodden ground, unmoving and broken.

Iruka squinted, attempting to identify friend or foe. The rain hampered his visibility, so crouching down, Iruka moved closer. There was a man kneeling near the center of the crater, head bowed. As Iruka got closer he could see the man's back, could note the way he was breathing, ribs heaving as he gasped for air. The man face was hidden, but Iruka recognized what was left of the Leaf flak vest. Blood trickled slowly down the man's left arm, mixing with the rain. Iruka clutched his kunai and stood, walking around slowly until he was in the man's line of sight. Iruka froze when the man tensed, but he didn't attempt to move or fight.

"Iruka-sensei..." The man's words tapered off as he ran out of breath.

Iruka frowned and suddenly things clicked into place. "Kakashi-san?" He knelt before Kakashi and jammed the point of the kunai into the ground so it was easily accessible should they be attacked. Then he reached out with his hands, holding them palm outward so Kakashi could see he held no weapons.

Kakashi continued to pull deep, shuddering breaths. Iruka noted that most of his flak vest and shirt had been destroyed, leaving only the protective layer of mesh underneath. Kakashi's skin was flecked with mud and tiny lacerations, the blood welling to the surface and trickling down his torso and arm. Even his mask was almost shredded, but somehow it still clung wetly to his face.

Iruka looked up to meet Kakashi's gaze with some trepidation. "Kakashi-san, are you injured elsewhere, anywhere not visible?"

Kakashi appeared to be considering his answer, which was more than enough information for Iruka. Kakashi would either deny being injured and continue to fight, or acknowledge his injuries enough for Iruka to try to help.

"Possible broken ribs. A headache."

Iruka stared at Kakashi, trying to decide if the last was another one of Kakashi's weird attempts at humor. When Kakashi remained silent, Iruka decided he was being serious. "Well, in that case we should try to get you to base camp." Iruka began unwinding the bandages on his legs. "Hold these, please."

"Yes, sensei," Kakashi replied in that deep, sardonic tone he had.

Iruka looked up, about to deliver a scolding. Something made him stop and instead he passed the bandages to Kakashi, who took them with shaking but cool fingers.

"I'm going to remove the remains of your shirt, okay? I'll leave you with the mesh."

Kakashi nodded and sat there, letting Iruka gently remove the rain-sodden fabric from his torso. Iruka immediately set about binding Kakashi's ribs, checking to make sure the bandages were tight but not constrictive. Kakashi immediately began to breathe more easily once the bindings were in place, which was a good sign.

"We should get out of here and into cover before anyone gets curious," Iruka said.

Kakashi didn't answer, just struggled to his feet, waving off Iruka's attempt to offer assistance. "Lead the way, sensei."

Iruka retrieved the kunai he'd shoved into the dirt and followed Kakashi, who was walking carefully toward the edge of the crater. "Do you need assistance?"

Kakashi stopped for a moment to level Iruka with an intense stare, but with half of Kakashi's mask missing, he could see the faint smile on Kakashi's lips. "Don't even think about carrying me out of here, Iruka-sensei. I'm not a girl."

Iruka grinned back and nodded. "Understood and noted, _General_."

"Good."

Iruka watched as Kakashi began to form rapid hand seals, reappearing suddenly at the edge of the crater some twenty feet above. "Damn jounin," Iruka muttered. "Doesn't know when to rest and reserve his energy. _Idiot_."

Kakashi waved lazily. "In your own time, Iruka-sensei," he called down.

Iruka forced down the need to swear and began to bound up the side of the crater, preferring to make the climb under his own steam and save his chakra for more important things like survival.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Ten years later**_

Kakashi perched on Iruka's garden wall and watched the sun rise, _Icha__ Icha_ held loosely in his hand. The morning was already warm, the air sultry and close with heat that had not dissipated overnight. Kakashi could already feel his shirt sticking damply to his back and he shifted slightly in discomfort.

The sound of bare feet on wood drew his attention toward the back of the house. Kakashi tried to resist the urge to smile stupidly and gave up, knowing that Iruka would figure it out anyway. Iruka was better than most people at reading Kakashi's hidden expressions – he'd had enough practice over the years they had known each other – and what Iruka couldn't see he was very good at guessing. It had become a game during their acquaintance since the war, and as they'd become better friends and then finally lovers, Iruka had become less awkward around Kakashi.

"Why the hell are you perched on my wall at five-thirty in the morning?" Iruka grumbled.

"Mah, I felt like watching the sunrise, and your wall is better than Genma's," Kakashi hedged. He glanced out the corner of his eye, watching as Iruka stood on the back porch. Iruka looked sleep mussed, his hair sticking up in odd points and flat on the left side where he'd obviously slept. A few strands of grey had started to come through on that side, making it look even more comical. It had become something of a joke recently, because Iruka swore that his students should have given him grey hair long ago.

Iruka lazily scratched his bare stomach above his sleep pants and Kakashi looked away, studiously watching the sun push its way over the tree line that surrounded Konoha. Seeing Iruka half naked made Kakashi want to do _things_ to Iruka; dirty things that would make him sweaty, naked and breathless. Unfortunately there wasn't time.

"Is that coffee you have there?" Iruka looked slightly hopeful, then frowned. "Hey, that's my mug."

"It's also your coffee." Kakashi dropped his book on the wall and picked up the mug. He pulled down his mask and took a sip, watching Iruka from the corner of his eye and waiting for the inevitable outburst.

Instead, Iruka stepped off the porch and stepped barefoot between the neat rows of vegetables until he was peering up at Kakashi. "Tell me you didn't break into my house this morning with the intent to make coffee and didn't wake me up?"

"Okay, I won't." Kakashi grinned. There was no way in hell he was going to trespass into Iruka's room, _while__ he__ was __in __bed_, to wake him up for coffee. That would also have led to the aforementioned _things_. He handed the mug to Iruka, who took it gratefully.

Kakashi watched as Iruka inhaled the scent, making agreeable noises, before taking a sip.

"God, that's good."

"Bad night?"

"How can you tell?"

"Well, apart from the fact your hair is sticking up everywhere and you have pillow marks on your face–" Kakashi ignored Iruka's huff of disapproval and embarrassment "–you look exhausted. Those rugrats of yours have been keeping you up?"

"They're not rugrats. They're thirteen."

Kakashi held up his hands and grinned. "Hey, it's your genin team. At least it's not a classroom full of seven year olds."

"Or Konohamaru," Iruka groaned. "Thank god he graduated. I can't say I ever envied you having Naruto as a genin either."

Kakashi hummed in agreement. "Correction: I got not only Naruto, but Sasuke and Sakura, if you remember."

"It feels like that was a long time ago."

"Well, Naruto will do that to a person," Kakashi added, even now unwilling to discuss the breakup of his only genin team. He laid his gloved hand on Iruka's shoulder, feeling the warm skin under his fingertips, and squeezed gently, offering sympathetic reassurance. After a few moments, Kakashi jumped off the wall and wandered over to the porch, sitting down on the decking and resting his hands on his knees.

He watched Iruka as he leaned against the wall, coffee in hand. Apart from the few odd grey hairs, Iruka hadn't changed much in the ten years since the war. They'd fought hard against Madara and Akatsuki, but it didn't show – unless you knew where to look for the scars. Badges of honor, Iruka called them. It was an often-shared shinobi sentiment; one that said that all your experiences as a ninja were written on your skin. Iruka had a particularly vicious scar that snaked down across his ribs and over his hip, disappearing below the waistband of his sleep pants just above his left buttock. It had healed to a soft silvery color that stood out starkly against his tanned skin, but Kakashi remembered when it was new, a deep red gash caused when Iruka had attempted to avoid a thrown jutsu, twisting at the last moment. What should have been a killing blow instead was writ across his skin as a near-miss, an almost fatal reminder that a soldier is only as good as his instincts make him. Kakashi was glad Iruka's instincts had been sharp that day.

"So, you have a mission later?" Kakashi glanced mournfully at Iruka, watching him finish the last of the coffee.

Iruka sighed. "Yes. C-Rank, a simple escort service to the Land of Rivers."

"Nice and easy, then." Kakashi folded his hands together, resisting the urge to run his fingers along his palm. That was one of his old injuries from the war; he'd blocked a swing with a katana and taken the edge of the blade across his palm, severing the tendons in his hand completely.

Iruka's snort of amusement brought Kakashi back to his senses. "_Nice__ and __easy_? Have you actually met my genin team, Kakashi?"

Kakashi allowed himself to smile evilly. "Oh yes, I _have_. This is payback for all those mission-room antics, you realize. The Godaime obviously thought if you could handle a room full of jounin you'd have _no_ problems with a team of genin brats."

Iruka sat down next to Kakashi. The warm skin of his arm brushed against Kakashi's briefly. Kakashi fought not to lean into Iruka's warmth, to feel more of his touch.

"Do you think the Hokage made the right choice in giving me a team?"

Kakashi was going to make a flippant comment, but sobered when he saw how serious Iruka was. Despite the crazy bed-hair, Iruka was staring at Kakashi earnestly, as though looking for approval – which was ridiculous, Kakashi thought. "Why wouldn't she have made the right choice?"

Iruka shrugged. "I don't know. It's not usual for a tokubetsu jounin to have a genin team, is it? It's usually left to you crazy bastards to deal with the newly graduated children. Plus, I was only made tokubetsu because of my proficiency in seals."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Bullshit, Iruka. You made tokubetsu because you deserved it. You proved you could lead a cell during a time of war, when quick thinking is often the only thing keeping your team alive. That and the ability to make the right decision under extreme stress. You know any of the jounin – crazy bastards or not – would be happy to have you on their teams."

"Hmm, I suppose." Iruka picked at the fabric of his pants. Eventually he smiled and leaned into Kakashi's space, resting his chin on Kakashi's shoulder. "Are you going to give me a goodbye kiss before I go?"

"Always." Kakashi snaked his arm around Iruka's waist and coaxed him forward until he was straddling his hips, hands resting on Kakashi's shoulders. Kakashi was very aware of the thin material of Iruka's sleep pants and how he could feel Iruka's strong thigh muscles flex as he shifted around until he was comfortable. "Tease," Kakashi said, stealing a quick kiss.

"You know it." Iruka rocked forward, surely knowing the friction was going to drive Kakashi insane. "Are you going to give me the usual?"

Kakashi snickered and felt Iruka's lips curl up in a smile against his. "Of course." Kakashi rested his hand gently at the nape of Iruka's neck and pulled him in for a slow, exploratory kiss. He parted his lips and let Iruka take control. Iruka was gentle to start with, teasing Kakashi with lazy kisses that slowly grew more heated until they threatened to overwhelm him. _Someone's__ horny __this __morning._ Kakashi slid his hand across the warm skin of Iruka's torso and over his hip until his hand rested heavy on Iruka's thigh. Iruka shifted his hips forward, chasing the sensation like Kakashi knew he would. Iruka let out a half-bitten-off moan and Kakashi tilted Iruka's head back and broke the kiss.

Iruka looked incredible, his eyes heavy-lidded, his cheeks flushed and lips parted, hair still crazy. Sexy as hell, though. Kakashi leaned back in and kissed Iruka with all the passion he had, feeling his chakra gathering. He let a thin tendril of his chakra out, gently pushing it through the kiss to Iruka. He felt Iruka stiffen against him and moan, winding his arms tighter around Kakashi's neck as he absorbed the chakra.

Iruka began kissing along Kakashi's jaw line toward his ear. "God, it turns me on when you do that," Iruka whispered, his breath hot on Kakashi's neck. "It feels amazing, knowing I have a piece of you inside me wherever I go."

Kakashi groaned and rocked his hips upward, unable to stop himself. His self-control was breaking down and he was almost considering rolling Iruka over onto his back and fucking him there in plain sight on the porch. Instead, he struggled to push his libido down and nuzzled into Iruka's neck, pulling back after a moment.

Iruka made a noise that sounded like a whine of disapproval and slumped against Kakashi in defeat. "You should have come earlier. You could have woken me up," he grumbled.

Kakashi glanced quickly up at the sun, which was now fully visible above the trees. "Hey, Iruka?"

"Yes?"

"What time do you have to meet your client at the North Gate?"

"Six-thirty. Why?" Iruka's voice was muffled against Kakashi's neck.

"Mah, I'd say you're going to be late." Kakashi pointed his finger up at the sun. "You have about twenty minutes to shower and pack if I'm not mistaken."

"Shit!" Iruka reared backward like he'd been attacked by a snake. His eyes widened comically and he leapt off Kakashi's lap. "I'm going to be LATE!"

Kakashi laughed, twisting around to watch Iruka as he dashed into the house. He could hear Iruka spazzing out and the sound of his footsteps as he raced down the hallway from the small kitchen to the equally tiny bathroom. Kakashi debated getting up to retrieve his _Icha__ Icha_ from the wall where he'd left it, but decided that it was probably better left where it was. Reading porn after having Iruka wriggling around on his lap would probably end in embarrassment or further frustration.

_Once__ Iruka__ is __gone __I __should __really __pay __a __visit __to __the __memorial __stone_, he thought, trying to think of something that was non-sexual and not related to Iruka being in the shower, getting wet and naked and probably jerking off.

It had been three days since he'd last paid a visit to the KIA memorial. He'd spent a large portion of the last few days hiding out from both the Godaime and Ibiki, who, rumor had it, wanted to meet with him. Rumor (i.e. Raidou) said that the Hokage was considering moving Kakashi over to the Intelligence and Tactical Department when he wasn't out on missions. IT would be boring, Kakashi had decided – sitting around in a room in the Hokage building, looking over maps and trying to guess what the enemy might do next. Not that Kakashi was averse to planning ahead; it had saved his life more often than not. Just… sitting in a room doing it as opposed to being out doing it during a mission was a whole different scenario.

On the other hand, he supposed he should be doing useful things with his time. The new generation of chuunin and even jounin had grown up; they were no longer his students, or classmates of his students. They were full-time shinobi, capable of doing everything Kakashi could do, and probably doing it better. Perhaps it was time to take the sum of his knowledge and experience and apply that to helping this new generation.

_Shit, I am getting old. And maudlin. _

"Getting old?" Iruka laughed and Kakashi realized he must have said it out loud. "It's hard to tell with your hair that color."

Kakashi stood up and dusted off his pants, taking note that Iruka looked much more composed than before, with his hair neatly tied back and his uniform on.

"Is that a new grey hair I can see on your head, Iruka?" Kakashi felt that verbal retaliation was perfectly acceptable just this once.

Iruka gave Kakashi a knowing smile. "It makes me look sexy."

"Hmm, I was going for… _distinguished_," Kakashi quipped, stepping back in case Iruka decided to get violent.

"_Sexy_." Iruka tilted his head to the side and bit his lip. "Don't you think I'm sexy, Kakashi-san?" he said with a pout.

Kakashi forced himself into his usual slouch. Iruka had to know he was playing with fire, hitting just about every button Kakashi had. He pulled his mask back up and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "You're going to be late, remember?" Kakashi drawled, aiming for a light hearted tone.

"I know. Are you walking my way?"

_I'm __always __walking __your __way, __Iruka_. "Why not? I can't pass up an opportunity to annoy your team."

"Typical," Iruka grumbled jokingly. "Let's go." He locked the door behind him, straightened his pack, and headed toward the garden gate.

Kakashi followed a few steps behind, watching Iruka's perfect arse, letting his gaze rove upward, past Iruka's backpack to the exposed nape of his neck. It was usually hidden by the collar of his flak vest, but Kakashi got a secret thrill every time Iruka moved a certain way and it was visible, knowing he was the one who was allowed to touch and caress, to shape Iruka's passion.

It was going to be a long couple of weeks while Iruka was away, and for a moment Kakashi wished he had woken Iruka up just a little bit earlier.

X X X X X


	3. Chapter 3

_This__ mission __is__ officially __a __pain __in __my __ass_, Iruka thought. They'd been traveling for over a week, but that wasn't what was driving Iruka crazy. He'd taken into account the fact that his client Seiji, a merchant, wouldn't be able to travel at shinobi speed. Not only were they traveling with the client, but also his wagon containing his remaining goods and the profits from the season. Iruka had counted on it taking them a week to reach the Land of Rivers at civilian speed – what he hadn't expected was for Seiji to stop at every onsen and outpost on the way out. One week was now officially almost two and Iruka's genin team were starting to get antsy and bored.

"Sensei?" Ume had a particular whine to her voice which made Iruka want to grit his teeth. Okay, he _was_ gritting his teeth. If he'd still been in the classroom he no doubt would have been aiming a blackboard eraser at someone's head by now.

"Yes, Ume?"

"Seiji-san isn't going to make us stop at Tani as well, is he?"

_God, __I__ hope __not._ "No, Ume-chan. Tani is a little to the south, and we don't really want to make that large a detour."

"Hmm, okay." Ume looked skeptical but continued walking by the side of the cart, reaching out occasionally to pet Seiji's horse.

Iruka checked behind him; both Yori and Sho were whispering, heads close together. Iruka decided he was going to have to talk to them later when they stopped for the night; neither one of them was paying attention to their surroundings or staying on the look-out for any potential threats.

The terrain was starting to change; from the old forests of Fire Country the landscape had began to undulate, to form deep ravines carved by winding, fast-moving rivers. Trees and shrubbery clung precariously to the sides of steep hills and the road had begun to wind back on itself, following the path of the rivers that gave this land its name.

It was perfect for an ambush.

Iruka was about to remind Sho and Yori about the dangers present from bandits when Iruka felt something whiz by his face. As he jumped clear, the object thudded into the side of the cart, causing the horse to shy.

_Kunai._

Iruka began barking out orders, glad to see his team react at once and move to follow them. Iruka's team executed a _manji_ formation immediately with Seiji in the centre, protected from harm. At the head of the formation, Iruka stared into the trees, trying to pick out which direction the real ambush might come from. Kunai didn't just randomly fly from the trees on their own, after all.

"Keep together," Iruka warned his team, risking a glance over his shoulder. "Protect the client at all costs and remember your training."

"Yes, Sensei," three rather subdued voices answered him in unison.

Within moments two shinobi materialized from the tree line. _Jounin-level_, Iruka noted to himself. _Dammit_.

Neither one of the ninja seemed in a hurry to engage Iruka's team, preferring to hang back until two more shinobi moved in from behind. Iruka knew that whoever engaged first would have the upper hand, but the whole point of the manji formation was to protect the center. By leaving the formation, Iruka would be exposing his client to any one of the attacking ninja who slipped between him and the rest of his team.

Iruka had to make a decision, fast, and hope that the months of training his team had all gone through would help them to work together seamlessly.

Iruka began to form rapid seals just as one of the first ninja moved forward at incredible speed. Iruka blocked his attack with a kunai, feeling the ripple of shock from his genin-team as they engaged. This was the first time they'd been so far from home and encountered a real enemy. Both jounin gave off an incredible amount of killing intent, so much so Iruka could almost taste it. He, however, had expected such a tactic but he doubted any of his genin had. He felt Seiji move behind him, shifting nervously from foot to foot.

This time Iruka managed to get off a jutsu but it flew wide of the mark, instead herding both jounin toward Sho's side of the formation. Iruka glanced over his shoulder, relieved to see Sho move to protect the client, blocking with his kunai. Iruka felt a moment of pride, cut short when he failed to deflect a kunai properly and it tore into his arm.

Iruka turned, using his body's speed to minimize the damage from the kunai. Seiji reached out a hand, instinctively moving to support Iruka.

"Thank you, Seiji-san." Iruka smiled, and turned back to his opponents, who had taken the time to move closer. "Team, stick together and do not break formation," Iruka reminded them. "No matter _what_ happens, your job is to protect the client. Understood?"

His team nodded, concentrating more on the enemy shinobi moving closer than their sensei.

Iruka was satisfied; he'd trained his team to the best of his ability. Now all they had to do was survive the next few minutes.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Iruka followed his genin team into the mission room, heading toward Iwashi, who was sitting at one of the desks, resting his chin against one hand and looking bored. The morning crowd had cleared out already – most jounin-sensei liked to get an early start – to collect their team, get a mission and get out quickly. Iruka knew this from having worked the mission desk for years, so he'd timed his arrival to coincide with the morning lull.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei." Iwashi sat straighter and glanced at Iruka's team. "Whoa, what happened to you guys?"

Iruka turned to follow Iwashi's gaze. From an outsider's point of view, it did look like his team had been dragged through a hedge backward – and then some. Ume was sporting a bandage on her arm due to a glancing blow from a kunai, Yori's hair was sticking up at all angles and looked like it had been singed at one point, and Sho looked… well, smug, like he'd just won a fight, which technically they had.

Iruka scratched nervously at the scar on his nose. "Ah, well, our C-Rank escort mission turned into a B-rank kidnap attempt once we crossed the border."

Iwashi sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "C-Ranks never stay as C-Ranks." He began searching through the desk drawer for more paperwork. After a moment he examined a new scroll and handed it to Iruka. "You'll have to fill this out as well. Change of pay-scale request and all that."

"Yes, I know." Iruka took the scroll and passed it to Ume, who looked at it with a puzzled expression. "We'll be right back."

Iruka led his team over to a spare desk and sat down. He supposed he should take a moment to explain to them about the extra paperwork and such, but when he took a close look at them he could see they were nearly wilting with exhaustion. "Why don't you three go home? I can take care of the extra paperwork," he said.

Three sets of eyes brightened at the thought. "But Sensei, we should wait with you until we've been dismissed officially." Yori, the conscience of the group, still obviously felt they should see things through to the end properly.

"I think we can let things slide this time, Yori. You three need to clean up and get some rest," Iruka said, trying to hide his amusement as Ume rolled her eyes at her teammate.

"Yeah!"

From long experience Iruka could tell that the last thing on Sho's mind was rest. No doubt he'd be off to meet up with his other friends and take advantage of his new bragging rights.

"Off you go, then." Iruka watched them leave and then returned to the document in front of him, trying to put his thoughts in order.

The fight was still fresh in his mind. So many things might have gone wrong; it was a good job that the bandits had backed off once Iruka had taken down the first of them. In retrospect, it had been too easy. Four obviously professional enemy shinobi should not have backed down so quickly from the fight, not if they had been intent on kidnapping Seiji as they had claimed. Iruka may have had a few tricks up his sleeve but that shouldn't have been enough to scare them off.

Iruka pushed his doubts away and finished jotting down the results of the mission. He read it over quickly before returning it to Iwashi. He was about to leave when the door opened and Kakashi entered. Something like relief swept through Iruka's system at seeing Kakashi, followed by the inevitable wave of desire. There was just something about post-mission sex with Kakashi that made everything seem right with the world, and at that point Iruka was more than ready to get straight down to it – fuck propriety.

Iruka could tell almost immediately that something was off with Kakashi. His entire gait was cautious, laced with a low-level suspicion. If Iruka had to put his finger on it, he felt as though the man before him was the man from fifteen years ago – a pre-War Kakashi – not the man he knew so well. It was puzzling.

Iruka took a hesitant step toward Kakashi, sketching a quick bow. "Good morning… Kakashi-_san_." Something made Iruka add the honorific, which he never did these days. They'd known each other for too long, knew too many of each other's secrets and desires. It made Iruka angry for some reason that Kakashi could suddenly intimidate him in such a way without even opening his mouth to speak.

"Iruka-sensei." Kakashi nodded, his attention clearly wandering across the room.

Iruka swallowed and searched Kakashi's face, looking for the warm welcome that should be there. They kept their relationship secret, or as secret as could be in a village full of ninja and friends. If Kakashi was acting strangely there would be a good reason why, and yet Iruka could see no acknowledgement of such a thing in his visible eye. Iruka pressed forward anyway and said, "Would you like to meet up for drinks this evening, Kakashi?"

The term _drinks_ was somewhat of a euphemistic term for a good hard fucking, but it worked when they were trying to be discreet and in company. It was something of a joke and they'd used the excuse enough when they'd first gotten together.

Kakashi frowned. "Mah, sensei, I'm busy this evening, sorry." Kakashi reached up and rubbed the back of his neck and Iruka could sense the awkwardness rolling off him in a wave that was almost palpable.

Iruka refused to believe Kakashi was _busy_ – or that he was going to suddenly pretend they didn't have a relationship. Neither of them were cowards, and Iruka knew Kakashi would never just brush him off without a damned good reason.

That didn't mean that Kakashi's actions hurt less, that they didn't send a deep ache into Iruka's soul that left him feeling confused and lost.

Iruka shoved down his disappointment and bowed, watching as Kakashi walked away. "Of course, Kakashi-san. My mistake."

X X X X X X X X X X X X X


	4. Chapter 4

Iruka hadn't seen Kakashi for three days. He'd spent some of that time training his team, running through kata, taking them out on shorter, D-Ranked missions around the village. Weeding the damned vegetable patch. Trying not to think too much about the last time they'd met in the mission room.

_One __stilted, __awkward__ conversion __does __not __equal __a __breakup,_ Iruka kept repeating to himself. _Just__ because __Kakashi __has __not __approached __you __doesn't __mean __it's __over._ He wrapped his hands around his coffee mug, remembering the last time Kakashi had come over right before the escort mission, thinking about how he'd snuck into Iruka's kitchen and made coffee. _For__ all __I __know, __he's __out __on __a __mission __again __and __not __even__ in __the __village._

Iruka knew he was making excuses. He'd seen Kakashi yesterday from a distance, talking with Genma, laughing like he didn't have a care in the world, like Iruka was the last thing on his mind.

A sudden gust of wind outside rattled the windows in their frames and a wash of cold rain distorted the view through the window. Iruka stared back into his mug, eyes widening in disbelief. A full moon was reflected in the surface of the coffee, rippling slightly as his hands tightened around the mug. It vanished just as quickly, until Iruka was left wondering if he'd actually seen it or not.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Tsunade-sama may have drunk sake like water, but even Iruka had to admit she had a sixth sense for when he was out of sorts. She'd given his team a few days off, and he'd spent the last six hours in the mission room filing area, behind closed doors, sorting through a backlog of misfiled A-rank mission reports. Iruka's eyes were starting to ache but he had to admit the extreme concentration required had kept his mind on the task rather than any personal problems he had.

"What the hell?" Iruka muttered to himself, pulling out a sheaf of papers. He recognized these: ANBU assignments. They shouldn't even be filed in the mission room archives, and should be in the T&I building to be filed with other classified documents and scrolls. Fortunately, Iruka had the correct clearance, so with a nod to the on-duty chuunin at the mission desk he made his way over to the T&I archives, which were housed in a separate building.

Two hours later, Iruka was filing the last of the documents when he felt a familiar presence behind him. He knew this presence, but it was still unexpected after a number of days without contact of any kind.

"Kakashi?" Iruka turned, but only made it halfway before a hand fisted in the back of his flak jacket and he was slammed forward against the cabinet. The open drawer slid shut with the force and Iruka grunted, instinct making him twist and bring a hand up in defense. Kakashi's fingers tightened around his wrist and Iruka winced as unexpected pain shot up his arm.

"What do you think you are doing?" Kakashi's voice was rough with distrust, not with the passion Iruka wanted to hear.

Iruka could feel his carefully subdued anger starting to finally break free. "What the _hell_ do you mean?" Iruka twisted again, jerking his wrist free of Kakashi's hold and turning until they were face to face. This close, Kakashi's visible eye was intense, narrowed with suspicion. "I have every right to be here, as you know. These reports needed filing and should never have been in the mission room archives in the first place." Iruka bit back on his need to continue to lay into Kakashi, to say, _why__ won't __you __acknowledge __me, __or __us?_ Instead, he glared back, meeting Kakashi's gaze with a level of intensity that would have had his old students at the academy running in terror.

"Did you _look_ at these files? Read them – commit them to memory?" Kakashi moved forward and Iruka felt his back press against the metal of the cabinet.

"I had to file them; of course I did."

"Iruka, you need to pay attention to your surroundings. Look _underneath_ the underneath." Kakashi's gaze was even more intense now, and Iruka could feel his spine crawling – this wasn't fear, this was something he couldn't name. Unease? An intense feeling of wrongness?

"I don't– "

Kakashi pressed forward, one hand cupping the nape of Iruka's neck and the other pulling down his mask, and before Iruka could pull away Kakashi's lips were over his, almost but not quite violent. Iruka parted his lips automatically, his traitorous body arching towards Kakashi's as he slid a knee between Iruka's thighs. Anger and desire mixed together and made Iruka feel lightheaded.

Just as quickly as the kiss had begun, it was over. Iruka forced his eyes open and drank in the sight of Kakashi, flushed, aroused and panting softly. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight; it was incredible. Iruka had missed this more than he'd realized. He felt Kakashi's fingers brush against his wrists and tighten just enough to draw his attention away from Kakashi's kiss-swollen lips and to where his fingers encircled Iruka's wrists.

"_Look_, Iruka."

"I don't understand."

Kakashi held up Iruka's arms between them. He loosened his hold on Iruka's wrists and cradled them gently in the palms of his hands. "_Look_."

Iruka shook his head but a final glance to Kakashi's face proved he was deadly serious. Iruka glanced down. Bruises circled his wrists; wide bands of black and blue, overlapping each other until it was impossible to tell where one ended and another began. Small cuts, abrasions and flecks of old blood stood out starkly against the patterned, swollen skin. Iruka could feel the dull ache of pain all the way up into his shoulders.

Shocked, Iruka jerked backward, connecting with the filing cabinet behind him once more. Scrolls fell from on top of the cabinet, knocked off by the movement, and clattered to the floor. Iruka heard the noise, could feel Kakashi's hands supporting his elbows with a gentle touch, but he couldn't see anything. _Only__ a __cold, __dank __concrete__ room, __filled__ with __the__ smell __of__ old,__ old__ fear __and__ pain.__ There __was __the__ sound__ of__ water__ dripping,__ the__ wet__ plop__ as__ it__ occasionally__ landed __on __his __cheek. __The __sound __of __distant __voices, __talking __and __laughing, __and __his __own __harsh, __panicked __breathing. __Blood__… _

"Iruka-sensei."

Kakashi's voice snapped Iruka back and he blinked, clearing his vision. He staggered slightly, reaching out to grip the edge of the nearby desk for balance.

"Iruka-sensei? Are you well?"

Iruka shook his head, forcing the foggy feeling from his head. He glanced at Kakashi, and immediately knew that this wasn't _his_ Kakashi – not the same one from a moment ago, but the cold, distant version he'd greeted in the mission room that morning a few days ago.

"I'm – " Iruka cleared his throat and tried again, pushing down the confusion he felt. "I'm fine, thank you. Just over-worked." It was obviously an excuse, but Iruka didn't trust this Kakashi and wasn't about to explain what had just happened. He forced himself to meet Kakashi's gaze, to not flinch away from him.

"You should get some rest, Sensei. I'm sure there's someone else who can file those."

"Yes, thank you." Iruka nodded and stepped around Kakashi, keeping his back to the wall. With a quick bow he made his way from the room and down the corridor, stopping in one of the restrooms. He leaned over the sink, trying to regulate his breathing, forcing himself to calm down. Only then did he stare down at his wrists, looking for the telltale bruising he knew was there. His skin was clear, with no marks visible at all. _I'm __losing __my __mind,_ Iruka thought, staring into the mirror. _What __the __hell __is __going __on?_

X X X X X X X X X X X X X


	5. Chapter 5

Iruka spent the next day training with his team at one of the many practice grounds around the village. His team was a great distraction, because it seemed five minutes wouldn't pass before Ume would start an argument with Sho, and Yori would try to mediate as usual. It reminded him rather a lot of Team 7, and brought a sad smile to his face.

Iruka's wrists still ached, although he couldn't see any bruising. He held his arms out and concentrated, the edges of his vision blurring with the effort. Iruka blocked all the outside stimuli and fought for clarity until he could feel a tendril of cool, dank air brush over his face, not the warmth of the late afternoon sunlight. As the ache in his wrists increased, Iruka could feel a line of fire burning down the path of his old wound, and hear the sound of distant voices.

_He's fighting it. He's coming out of it, you idiot!_

It was like trying to tune an old radio; fiddling with the dial until suddenly you locate a clear signal and you can hear everything with perfect clarity.

Surprised, Iruka jerked backward and lost his concentration and his connection to the signal. He felt a sudden need to be elsewhere, a voice in his head screaming _danger!_He dismissed his team and made his way home, trying to ignore the sick feeling of wrongness that burned in his stomach.

As soon as Iruka got home, he began to put up his wards – not the regular ones, but ones Kakashi had taught him during long hours of practice: high-level, S-rank wards. Iruka stood in the middle of his living room floor and pulled back the old rug, revealing the floorboards. He bit his thumb to draw blood and began to rapidly form hand signs, closing his eyes to concentrate properly, letting them flow from old habit. Underneath the floorboards was a hidden compartment – most shinobi had them – and Iruka's most dangerous secrets. Iruka had learnt early on that it was better to keep these hidden, rather than carry them around in his head. The Umino clan possessed a handy transference jutsu and Iruka stored his village's secrets, learned from the mission room and at T&I, on these scrolls. Safe, and out of his head.

And he needed to make sure they were still there.

Iruka finished the final sign and crouched down, ready to slam his hand onto the boards, when slender fingers closed over his.

"Do _not_ finish the seal," a cold voice instructed him.

Iruka jumped backward, immediately loosing a kunai, which the figure batted away. The kunai clattered to the floor, sliding under the kotatsu and disappearing from view.

"Kakashi." Iruka remained in a defensive posture, another kunai at the ready. He wanted to ask how Kakashi had possibly gotten through his wards, but conversation could come later once he'd figured out if this man was his enemy or his friend.

"Which one are you?" Iruka said.

Kakashi's eye curved up into a smile, totally without warmth. "Which one do you want me to be?"

"Don't play games; I'm not in the mood." Iruka frowned, his fingers gripping the kunai tightly. "Why did you stop me?"

"Some things are best left hidden, don't you think, Sensei?"

Iruka couldn't argue with that. Hadn't _his_ Kakashi said something similar yesterday?

"Look closely. Look behind me, over my shoulder."

Iruka debated on whether this was a dirty trick to get him to lose concentration, but he did allow himself a fleeting look over Kakashi's shoulder, through the kitchen window. _What__ the __hell __is __he __trying__ to __tell __me?_ Iruka thought, glancing back at Kakashi. Kakashi was staring at him, his gaze boring into Iruka's until Iruka could almost feel his intent. Iruka looked again and then saw what Kakashi was trying to explain in his usual annoying, enigmatic way.

The full moon hung heavy in the sky, only just visible against the bright blue.

"That is impossible," Iruka said, taking a step backward.

"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "It is. Do you still want to finish that seal and share your secrets?"

Iruka shook his head and let the kunai drop to the floor. His hands automatically came up to form a sign, and he stopped the flow of chakra to his body, channeling it deep inside to where he couldn't reach it. "Release."

The world started to fade away around Iruka, the bright sunlight through the window taking on a cold, sinister tinge. The floorboards beneath his feet began to fade away, then seemed to return, as if trying to anchor him to this reality.

"Try harder, Iruka. This is not a simple illusion."

Iruka looked at Kakashi and swallowed around a dry throat. "I can't– "

Small sparks of lightning danced on Kakashi's fingertips and he approached Iruka slowly. "Do you trust me?"

Iruka thought for a moment, sizing up Kakashi, and then he nodded. This was his Kakashi; he could see the small changes in the way he moved, his body language. He knew this man. "I trust _you_."

Kakashi smiled. "Good. Remember that little spark of chakra I lent you? We can use it to bridge the gap between reality and illusion – what's here, and what is there."

Kakashi's fingers lifted Iruka's shirt and traced gently over his navel, palm flattening against his chakra point. Iruka let out a sigh, trying to still his tense muscles as they jumped under Kakashi's hand. Kakashi stepped closer until Iruka could feel his body heat – it felt so real, even if Iruka knew it was just an illusion. Iruka could feel the heat from Kakashi's palm, focused and growing stronger, now laced with his lightning chakra. It wasn't burning like a chidori, however – Kakashi had complete control over the amount of chakra he was feeding Iruka in an attempt to bridge his reality. It must have taken incredible skill, Iruka thought.

Iruka closed his eyes and felt the warm brush of electrically-charged air touch his forehead. Only then did the pain lance through his head and burn along his torso, a dull ache echoing through his arms and wrists. The lightning became intense and Iruka screamed, just as the ground fell away from him completely.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X


	6. Chapter 6

It was like drowning, trying to fight your way to the surface, but not knowing which way was actually up.

Iruka struggled and this time he could feel the bindings around his wrists as he moved. He tried to jerk his hands downward; he could feel his arms stretched tight above his head and feel the cold ache of stone beneath his body.

_It's __a __genjutsu __of __some __sort. __It __has __been __all __along_.

The clues had been right there: the full moon hanging in the sky, even during the day, its reflection in his coffee mug, the bruises on his wrists. The sudden glimpses of some other place, dark and cold, the visions quick to appear and even quicker to vanish until he was convinced he hadn't even seen them. Kakashi acting oddly, like they were only friends and acquaintances. That made perfect sense now Iruka knew it was an illusion – whoever was holding him prisoner wouldn't have known Kakashi was Iruka's lover.

His mind struggled to reassert itself and Iruka gasped at the feeling of the cold stone beneath his body and _forced_ his eyes to open.

"Fuck, he's broken the jutsu," someone said in a panicky tone to Iruka's left.

"You said _nobody_ could break free once they were bound to it, Seiji."

_Seiji_. Iruka's client from the mission to the Land of Rivers. _Bastard_, Iruka thought. _When__ did __he __trap __me __in __his __genjutsu__ – __during __the__ fight,__ or__ later? __Where __is __my __genin __team?_

Iruka couldn't trust anything he'd seen or witnessed, he realized that now. Anything he'd experienced since the journey outward could have been part of the illusion, and god help anyone if they'd harmed his team.

Sudden anger fueled his movements and he pushed the fog from his brain, concentrating on the dank room he was incarcerated in. A quick check revealed he was shirtless, barefoot and his wrists were bound above his head to the slab of stone. Iruka counted three men present at the moment but he had no idea where he was or how big this place was.

_First__ things__ first. __I __need __to __get __the __hell __out __of __this __room__ and __then __look __for __the __kids._ Iruka swung his legs up, hooking one ankle around Seiji's neck and tightening the other, twisting slightly until he had the surprised man in a tight grip. Iruka heard the sound of metal on metal; weapons being drawn. "Release me or I break his neck," Iruka warned.

One of the other men laughed; it was a surprised, unimpressed sound. "You think you can kill him while you're still chained up, Umino?"

"Care to test me?" Iruka tightened his hold and twisted hard. He felt something crack and give in Seiji's neck but didn't waste a moment in releasing his prisoner, letting the man drop to the floor. He placed the soles of his feet on the slab and pushed hard, letting his momentum carry him onto his shoulders and then over backward. He landed on his feet, but felt his legs start to give out at the sudden strain. It was a struggle to remain standing. _How __long __have __I __been __here?_ he wondered briefly. His body felt weak, like he hadn't eaten in days.

Iruka dodged a thrown kunai, still hampered by the fact his wrists were bound and still attached to the stone. If he'd been free, he could have picked up the kunai and used it himself, but now he had the slight problem in that he was being tracked by two pissed-off ninja and he essentially had his back to the wall.

He took his eyes off the ninja long enough to examine his bindings. Heavy cuffs bound his wrists, which were attached with a short chain to the stone slab. Iruka dodged another kunai, watching warily, waiting for one of them to rush him. He glanced down again and noticed their mistake. The cuffs were heavy, yes, but not separated by a bar or anything to prevent a shinobi from performing seals. _First__ – __and __last__ – __mistake._ Iruka grinned and began forming rapid hand seals. He'd practiced this jutsu over and over, until he could do it in his sleep.

Lightning danced on Iruka's fingertips and brightened, forming into a tiny sliver of highly compressed energy. Iruka didn't have much of an affinity for lightning, but given that small amount of chakra Kakashi had gifted Iruka with when they had kissed, he had just enough to form and release a small amount, honed into a short, super-heated blade about the size of a pocket knife. It parted the links of the chain easily and Iruka was free of the slab, able to duck down before he was peppered with a barrage of senbon and kunai.

Using the jutsu drained an incredible amount of Iruka's chakra. It was what Kakashi deemed a _last-ditch __solution__ when __nothing __else __is __available_. Iruka could see why. Still, that didn't stop him from fighting back the old-fashioned way.

Iruka searched Seiji's body from behind the protection of the slab, fingers dancing over the man's clothes, checking for weapons. Seiji groaned and Iruka realized the man wasn't dead after all. _Shit,__ I __knew__ the __angle __was __slightly __off_. Iruka retrieved a tanto blade from Seiji's clothing, ignoring the man's whimper of pain. It was clear that Seiji wasn't moving any time soon and definitely didn't pose a threat.

Iruka chanced a glance over the stone, noting quickly the placement of the two shinobi. They'd spread out, one by the door, one circling around to Iruka's position. Iruka had to move _now_, no matter the danger, because if he didn't he realized he'd find himself stuck between both men, vulnerable on two sides.

He leapt up and over the slab, running for the man to the side first. They'd obviously expected him to make for the door and not toward the back of the room. Iruka dodged a fire jutsu and thrust his blade into the man's gut, jerking the tanto free immediately in order to face the man positioned by the door. He dropped to the ground to avoid more senbon, ignoring the pricks of pain as he felt some of them slice into this skin. Iruka's shoulder burned with dull pain; he hadn't noticed the kunai the man had thrown while he was concentrating on the senbon.

"Give it up, Umino. Even if you escape this room, you won't get much further." The man grinned. It was an unpleasant look that promised a world of pain if Iruka tried to get past him.

Iruka realized he'd been lucky so far; this man was a jounin, whereas the man he'd just killed had probably only been genin or chuunin. Seiji – well, he was an unknown, an anomaly, and Iruka had been completely fooled by his masquerade as a well-to-do merchant. Iruka had seen nothing to suggest he was a ninja during their travels, but then looks could often be deceiving. He was, however, obviously a user of jutsu, and Iruka questioned his decision to leave the man alive.

"Masa, what the hell is going on?" The door was opened suddenly and another man appeared. Iruka used the moment of distraction to pull the kunai from his shoulder and aim it at the newcomer. Both shinobi ducked and the kunai thudded into the door, buried to the hilt.

"What do you want with me?" Iruka stood up slowly, ignoring the burning fatigue in his legs. He needed to remain strong – both mentally and physically – if he wanted to see Konoha again.

The jounin – Masa – sneered. "Information. What else would we be after?"

"Isn't this a rather elaborate setup, just for information?" Iruka gestured at the room, trying to buy time.

"We can go with torture if you're more comfy with that. Seiji prefers to fuck with people's minds; he gets off on it." Masa snorted humorlessly. "But I have no problem breaking you the old-fashioned way, Umino, one deep cut at a time."

"I think I'll pass."

Masa moved to the side, pulling out more kunai, which Iruka fought to deflect with his blade. He realized he was being herded toward the back corner of the room. _This__ is __bad, __I __have __to __get __free._ Iruka was already drained; he could feel the fatigue in his muscles, small tremors that shook his body. His fist clenched around the tanto while he watched his enemies circling him, moving closer. Iruka promised himself he wasn't going to give in – he wasn't going to die here. And, he wasn't going to be captured again and forced to give up the secrets of his village.

His resolve firm, Iruka rushed forward to meet his opponents.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X


	7. Chapter 7

Kakashi stopped and crouched down on the branch, pulling out a kunai. He waited for few moments, observing the unassuming wooden building in the middle of the clearing. He could see no movement inside of the building through the dirty windows, which led him to believe that most of the real building was actually below ground and hidden from view.

He'd been returning from a routine mission to Grass when he'd received a missive from Konoha, sent via messenger bird. The message was short and straight to the point, and Kakashi had felt the bottom drop out of his stomach when he'd read it. He didn't think he'd ever get the message out of his head, at least not until his dying day, which hopefully wouldn't be today.

_New objective: Umino Iruka captured, possibly deceased. Genin team safe. Proceed to Land of Rivers immediately. If unable to complete extraction, initiate retrieval of body. Team Kakashi dispatched from Konoha as of this moment to intercept._

_Shit_. Kakashi took a deep breath as his mind replayed the message. Reading between the lines as an experienced shinobi, Kakashi could see that Konoha already assumed a worst-case scenario: that Iruka was dead and that the body should not fall into enemy hands. How long had Iruka been held for? Iruka had left three weeks ago, but Kakashi had been sent out on his own mission before Iruka and his team had been due back.

Kakashi knew Konoha played with fire every time they sent Iruka on a mission. It was a testament to Iruka's skills that Tsunade-sama was willing to let Iruka leave the safety of Konoha to go on missions and train a genin team. If she didn't believe he had the skills to extract himself and his team she would have never promoted him. That this mission had backfired so spectacularly – to require either an extraction or retrieval – showed a great deal of planning, and luck, on the enemy's behalf.

Most jounin were listed in the other countries' bingo books, but Iruka was a rare exception. Kakashi knew for a fact that Iruka was worth more alive to most nations than the average dead jounin. Having spent much of his career training the future shinobi of Konoha, and also working in the mission room, Iruka was in the enviable position of being aware of every Konoha shinobi's skill sets, abilities and also their current assignments. He had a high-level clearance which gave him access to secret documentation, and like all mission room workers, had been trained not to break under torture. That, in itself, was far from reassuring for Kakashi. Holding a shinobi who was resistant to most forms of interrogation only assured that Iruka's captors would have to get more creative to extract the information they wanted.

Kakashi waited a further ten minutes, desperately suppressing his killing intent. The last thing he wanted to do was prematurely announce his arrival in such a fashion. He formed a series of rapid hand seals, creating two shadow clones. This was the maximum number he could manage safely without blowing out his chakra reserves.

The two clones dropped silently to the forest floor and began to circle to the rear of the building. Kakashi followed, using his incredible speed to cover the distance quickly. He felt one of his clones disappear in a puff of smoke when it tripped a deadly trap, the information returning to him almost immediately. Kakashi made his way around to where his clone had attempted entrance; glad to see that now the trap was disarmed he could enter with ease. Sliding over the window sill, Kakashi dropped to the ground, taking a second to examine his surroundings. The building appeared deserted; the floor covered with a thin layer of dirt and windblown leaves. One doorway led to another room where his clone was waiting, standing over an unopened trapdoor, the camouflaging dirt brushed clear.

_Two __chakra __signals __directly __below_, the clone signaled in ANBU sign language. _Four__ more __further __away._

_Iruka_? Kakashi signed back. The clone shook his head and Kakashi ground his teeth in frustration.

_His __chakra __may __be __suppressed,_the clone suggested.

Kakashi closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to pick up on that small amount of his own chakra he'd lent Iruka, but it was futile. He couldn't find it.

The clone leaned down and pulled on the handle of the trapdoor. Kakashi peered down through the opening, noticing a flickering light in the corridor below. _Candlelight_? In the silence, Kakashi picked up faint sounds of metal on metal and the occasional shout. He made eye contact with his clone, and knew that his expression echoed that of his double; a joyful glee, matched to the hunger in his eyes.

_Shall__ we __join __the __fight_? the clone signaled.

_Let's__ not __be __late __this __once_, Kakashi answered, and dropped into the waiting darkness.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X


	8. Chapter 8

Iruka crouched down and chanced a quick look around the corner. He'd managed to make it out of the room he'd been held in and into the corridor, and now all he had to do was stay alive long enough to figure out where his team was. He slowly stood back up once he was sure the way ahead was clear, but he could tell he was running on his body's last reserves of energy. He was suppressing his chakra as well, not wanting to alert his enemies to his location. The muscles in his thighs trembled with the effort to stay upright and he paused, leaning against the cold stone wall. He tightened his fingers around the tanto, which seemed to be growing heavier by the minute. His ribs and side ached – he hadn't realized when he'd first regained his senses and come out of Seiji's illusion, but the old wound that snaked across his side and over his hip had been reopened, probably by Seiji or one of his men when they'd been trying to get information. Iruka couldn't remember anything except the illusion, but he had no doubt they'd tried other regular forms of torture first before discovering that wasn't going to work – especially if that bastard Masa had been in on the fun.

The air seemed to ripple before Iruka and he forced his aching body to cooperate, his muscles tensing as he assumed a defensive position. Iruka released a handful of senbon he'd appropriated from one of the dead shinobi, watching as they scattered, striking his materializing enemy.

The man that finally appeared before Iruka was tall, with rippling muscles, long dark hair and sloe eyes. Iruka recognized the man from the bingo books – a missing nin from Stone who went by the name of Daiki. He specialized in earth jutsu and was an accomplished earth-walker, able to sink into the ground and follow the ley lines through the soil, to literally walk on them and travel great distances.

"Going somewhere, Umino?" Daiki sounded amused. _Asshole_, Iruka thought.

"Looking for the exit, actually," Iruka quipped, regretting it instantly when the ground buckled before his feet, throwing him to the floor. Luckily he avoided hitting his head, instead landing on his already injured shoulder. Iruka couldn't hide his wince as sharp pain ripped through the wound and down his arm, making his fingers tingle numbly.

Daiki crouched down next to Iruka and rested his hands on his knees. Iruka tried to regulate his panting breaths and not give away the fact that his body was wracked with fatigue and pain. He gripped the tanto tightly in his fist, reaching deep to find the energy to deliver some kind of blow, to move.

Daiki reached out as if in slow motion and gripped Iruka tightly around the neck, fingers squeezing. Iruka gasped, throwing his head back in an instinctive effort to get more air. His free hand gripped Daiki's wrist, nails digging into the man's skin and leaving deep gouges in the flesh.

Iruka's world tilted alarmingly for a quick moment as Daiki stood up. He slammed Iruka into the wall, knocking his remaining breath from him. Iruka dropped the tanto, distantly hearing the clatter as it connected with the ground. His vision was starting to go dark at the corners and sparkles of light danced lazily in front of his eyes.

"Hmm, cute." Daiki tilted his head and loosened his grip on Iruka's neck enough to allow him to breathe again. Iruka felt the oxygen rush to his lungs and started to cough. "Are you worth keeping alive, I wonder?" Daiki shook Iruka, as if that might persuade him to reply. "Since you took care of Seiji, I'm not sure it's worth the trouble. Perhaps I should just kill you."

"You can try," Iruka croaked.

Daiki stepped closer, pressing Iruka against the wall with his body. Iruka bucked, hoping to use the movement to dislodge the man, but only succeeded in making Daiki laugh instead. Iruka attempted a punch, but his hand was caught and pressed to the wall. Daiki squeezed Iruka's wrist and Iruka felt the bones shift and crack.

"I like it when you struggle." Daiki's smile was manic. He leaned in until Iruka could feel Daiki's hot breath on his cheek. He turned his head to the side as far as he could and fought back the shudder when Daiki swiped his tongue along Iruka's jaw. "I wonder if you've been broken in yet, Umino. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Iruka bucked hard enough to almost dislodge Daiki's hand from around his throat and then kneed the bastard in the ribs. All he got for his efforts was a grunt but it was enough to get some room as Daiki stepped back. The air was suddenly filled with the smell of charred flesh and a bright, pure blue light seared Iruka's vision, followed by a spray of hot, sticky blood. Iruka could feel the heat from the lightning caress his bare stomach but it didn't come closer. The hand at Iruka's throat loosened and Iruka slumped to the floor, gasping for air.

Daiki's body fell to the ground in a heap, unmoving. For a few precious seconds Iruka's vision was filled only with Daiki's blank, dead eyes looking back at him. Iruka's brain couldn't process what had just happened, until a shadow stepped into his vision.

"Iruka?"

Iruka turned dazed eyes toward his new enemy and failed to find the energy to stand up and fight.

"Iruka?" Cool fingertips touched his jaw and Iruka jerked his head to the side. The fingertips tightened just a little, enough to get his attention but not cause pain. "Iruka, it's Kakashi."

"Kakashi?" Iruka repeated the word, licking his dry lips to try to speak properly. He felt the hand move from his jaw to his neck and he froze, ready to fight back.

"Don't break on me yet, Umino," said the man in front of him. "You're tougher than that." Warm healing energy poured into Iruka's bruised throat and Iruka closed his eyes, letting his head rest against the wall. For some reason he trusted this person, recognized their chakra and that was enough for now.

After a few moments the warmth receded and Iruka cracked his eyes open. "Kakashi? Is it really you or are you another illusion?"

"It's me. What's this about illusions?"

Iruka swallowed around his dry throat. "Later. Let's get out of this place first and find my team."

"Your team is safe in Konoha – no need to worry."

Iruka let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Relief coursed through his body and if he hadn't been sitting down, he might have collapsed anyway.

Kakashi continued to stare at Iruka, as if sizing up his ability to walk under his own steam. Eventually Kakashi seemed to come to some kind of decision and nodded. "Can you stand up?"

"Yes." Iruka allowed Kakashi to pull him to his feet. He staggered slightly and felt his legs buckle. Kakashi tightened his arm around Iruka's waist, lending Iruka his strength. "I need– " Iruka's voice cracked from the strain and he cleared his throat gingerly and tried again. "Kakashi, I need to check something."

Kakashi nodded and let Iruka twist in his arms until Iruka was facing him. Iruka pulled at Kakashi's mask with his uninjured hand, until it rested around Kakashi's neck. Then he leaned in and placed a kiss on Kakashi's lips.

If Kakashi was surprised he didn't show it, only closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, letting Iruka control it. After a few moments Iruka pulled back and smiled tiredly.

"What was that about?" Kakashi asked.

"I needed to check that you really were you."

Kakashi frowned. "Are you convinced?"

"Completely." Iruka leaned into Kakashi's warmth, letting his body start to fold. Kakashi held him upright with one arm, and pulled Iruka's other arm over his shoulder.

"We need to get going. Can you walk?"

Iruka nodded. "Don't even think about carrying me out of here, Kakashi. I'm not a girl."

Kakashi barked out a short, sharp laugh. "I've heard that line before. I'll try to keep that in mind."

X X X X X X X X X X X X X


	9. Chapter 9

A few small stones crunched under Kakashi's feet as he crouched beside Seiji on the damp floor. The man was laying face up, just where Iruka had said he'd left him. His breath came in sharp, pained gasps and the whites of his eyes were large, staring back at Kakashi with a fearful expression on his face. Blood trickled slowly from the corner of his mouth. Kakashi gave him not much more than an hour to live, with or without the broken neck.

Kakashi reached out a hand and patted Seiji none too gently on the shoulder, ignoring the whimper of pain the man made. "Mah… Seiji. You've been a bad boy, I hear," Kakashi said conversationally. He pulled a kunai from his holster and twirled it in one hand, watching as Seiji focused on the weapon. First rule of interrogation: give your subject something to focus on – preferably something sharp and dangerous. Something that's going to _hurt_.

"What do you want?" Seiji's eyes widened as the point of the kunai came dangerously close to his chest.

"I want to know _exactly_ what you did to Umino Iruka." Kakashi leaned a little bit closer and pushed up his hitai-ate, but kept his left eyelid closed. "Better make it quick, too; after all, you have a broken neck. Looks like Iruka botched it and unhappily for you, you aren't quite dead."

Seiji grimaced. "He fought my jutsu before I could get all the information I wanted. That's never happened before."

"Are you shinobi?" Kakashi twirled the kunai again, then clasped it tight in his hand, point forward.

"I was." Seiji tried to laugh, but thought better of it when he began coughing. "Turns out I was always better at jutsu than fighting. There are always people who'll pay good money to someone who can extract secrets."

Kakashi opened his sharingan eye and waited for Seiji to focus on it. "Do you know what this is, Seiji?"

"No."

"Sharingan. I assume you've heard of it?"

Seiji's eyes widened comically and he looked away, rolling his eyes to the side since he couldn't move his neck. Finally curiosity got the better of him and he met Kakashi's gaze with some trepidation.

Kakashi allowed himself to smile when he realized he had Seiji's full attention at last. "Unfortunately, I can't leave anyone alive who may have accessed village secrets. But, more importantly, you've also messed with the one person I care deeply about, which puts you in a _very_ bad position."

The tomoe in the sharingan began to spin slowly, drawing Seiji in, picking up speed as the illusion wove itself into Seiji's reality. The tomoe seemed to merge together, forming a pinwheel seal. "So, from one genjutsu user to another, let me say this to you: you picked the _wrong_ shinobi to fuck with. Let's take a long walk in your own personal nightmare, shall we?"

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Iruka woke slowly. Rather than forcing his body into consciousness, he hovered on the edge of sleep, enjoying the light doze. It felt like every inch of his body ached but he welcomed it, knowing that it meant he was alive. His body was cradled softly and he recognized the feel of a bedroll under him and not the damp cold of stone.

_Oh, __that's __right. __Kakashi__ brought __me __here __and__ went __back __to__… _talk_… __to __Seiji._

After a few moments Iruka opened his eyes to the warm flicker of firelight. Kakashi had chosen as a bolt-hole one of the myriad caverns that dotted the landscape. It was a small cave, easily defendable by two clones while their master was away.

Iruka shifted, trying to place where the two clones were.

"Iruka, stop trying to move."

"Ngh," Iruka winced as his side gave a sharp twinge, reminding him why it wasn't a good idea to shift around – even a little bit.

A cool palm rested against his forehead. "Good, you don't have a fever. I'll try to heal you again in a few minutes."

Iruka rolled his head to the side so he could get a better look at Kakashi. "Are you Kakashi, or one of the kage bunshin?"

Kakashi nodded. "The real thing. One clone is guarding the entrance and the other is scouting out a safe route home."

"Good." Iruka reached out a hand, careful not to pull on the muscles of his torso, and touched Kakashi on the knee before letting his hand drop. "Alone at last."

Kakashi laughed softly. "You know, if you didn't look like you'd had the shit kicked out of you, I'd say you were flirting with me."

"Maybe; or perhaps I'm just glad to see you."

"Likewise."

Iruka smiled, his eyes flicking closed when Kakashi smoothed his tangled hair back from his forehead. It was soothing and Iruka could feel his body relaxing properly for the first time in ages.

"Sleep, love."

"Hmm," Iruka mumbled. The words felt heavy on his tongue. "You've not called me that before."

Kakashi didn't answer, only continued to stroke his hair softly, until Iruka drifted off into a deep, healing sleep.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

"You've been healing me while I slept, haven't you?"

Kakashi looked at Iruka, propped up against the wall of the cave, a blanket against his back to ward off the chill of the rock. He was covered in another blanket, his arms resting at his sides. Kakashi thought he resembled a posed doll rather than a human, since Iruka was being careful with his movements.

He was also in a bad mood, which was always a good sign when it came to healing. If you had the energy to be grumpy, you were recovering.

Kakashi didn't bother to answer, just nodded. He stirred the soup in a cup and passed it to Iruka, who took it carefully. "Small sips; it might be hot."

Iruka took a hesitant sip and licked his lips. "Hmm, this is good. Where did you get it?"

Kakashi pointed to the other side of the fire, where a number of items were laid out, scattered across two scrolls. "Camping scroll and a provisions scroll. It's easier to carry it all this way than in a heavy backpack."

Iruka looked contemplative, like he was thinking about adding that idea to what he would teach his genin team. "Did you… _talk_ to Seiji?"

"I did." Kakashi's eyes wandered over Iruka, noting the bruises and cuts on his body, the torn skin around his wrists and his bandaged ribs and chest. "We had a nice long chat. You were right; you hadn't quite managed to kill him, although you did break his neck."

"Oh?" Iruka sounded casual, but Kakashi could read Iruka's expression; he wanted to know what Seiji had said.

"He told me that when he set out to dig into Konoha's secrets, he didn't have anyone in particular in mind. You got the luck of the draw, sorry."

Iruka snorted. It was not a humorous sound. "So he would have done this," Iruka gestured to his injuries, "to anyone, had they drawn the C-rank mission? What a bastard."

"Quite. Seiji's specialty is rather similar to the Yamanaka mind-reading jutsu, allowing him to pull information from another's mind, and to also manipulate what their victim thinks and perceives. He used that to weave a complex illusion in which you 'lived' for a while, plucking stray thoughts out of your head, trying to find the obvious places that you would logically hide sensitive information, and then direct you to those hiding places, hoping to uncover those secrets. What he didn't count on was coming across someone like you, who had been specifically trained to resist techniques such as this."

Iruka finished his soup and put the cup to one side, resting his hands loosely in his lap. He stared at his fingers before looking back to Kakashi. "Is that why things were so muddled in my head? Because there was you, and then there was a… colder version of you. One with no knowledge of us."

"I don't think that was his doing. That's not what he implied, anyway." Seiji had implied a lot of things, during his time in Kakashi's Nightmare Realm. He'd also screamed quite a lot, especially toward the end. Kakashi wasn't about to share that with Iruka, however. "I think the more receptive versions of me, the one you associate with me now, were a result of the lightning chakra I shared with you – a sort of memory of me. The other version would have been Seiji's perception of me."

"Well, I didn't like him."

Kakashi refrained from laughing, although he wanted to. Iruka sounded like he was sulking. "Do you want more soup?"

Iruka sighed. "No, thank you. I'm still sleepy."

"You're still healing." Kakashi leaned in and kissed Iruka softly on the lips. Iruka didn't pull back, but instead parted his lips in clear invitation. Kakashi was oh-so-tempted to take Iruka up on the offer, but instead after a few moments gentled the kiss and pushed his growing libido back down. Besides, his clone was still guarding the entrance to the cave and Kakashi didn't feel like having a voyeur, even if it was himself.

Iruka shifted until he was lying down on the bedroll and blinked owlishly at Kakashi. "Be here when I wake up?"

"Of course."

Kakashi watched as Iruka's breathing evened out into a true sleep, then he slumped back against the wall. He was running low on chakra; keeping two clones active was more than enough drain on his reserves, but he'd also used the Mangekyou to interrogate Seiji. Iruka would possibly kill him if he realized Kakashi was almost running on empty. Kakashi intended to disperse at least one of his clones once it had scouted out a safe route home. That would fix some of the drain on his chakra, but Kakashi realized getting them both home was going to be tricky at best.

He let his eyes close briefly, knowing that his clone would keep watch over them for the time being.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X


	10. Chapter 10

Two days of travel. Two _long_ days. Iruka shifted on Kakashi's back and eventually Kakashi took the hint and stopped on the next branch. Carefully Iruka let go of his hold around Kakashi's neck and slid his feet onto the branch, glad to feel something solid under him for the first time in hours. Iruka had no problem travelling through the trees, but there was something psychological about not doing it on your own and having to rely on someone else. At least he knew Kakashi would never drop him.

"We should rest," Iruka said. The branch was fairly wide so Iruka shifted over. He sat down with his back to the tree and Kakashi crouched down in front of him.

"How are you doing?"

Iruka managed a smile. "Okay. Better than yesterday."

Kakashi looked tired, Iruka noted. Not just tired, but bone weary. And he was trying to hide it. "Why didn't you tell me you were chakra depleted, Kakashi?"

"Would it matter?" Kakashi shrugged and looked away for a moment, a clear sign of guilt.

"Of course it matters." Iruka glared but even that failed to make an impression on Kakashi. "We're both going to make it home. Do I need to carry you?"

Kakashi let out a sudden laugh. "Nope, I'm the one doing the carrying, Iruka-Hime."

"Did you just call me a _princess_?"

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in a smile. "You're a bit battered-looking for a princess, but if it fits…"

Iruka scowled, but was glad to see Kakashi at least laugh. Iruka was not a fool; even though Kakashi had dispersed both his clones, he'd used his chakra again to summon Pakkun yesterday to get a message to Konoha.

"Do you have any soldier pills?" Iruka asked.

Kakashi nodded and began to search in one of his pockets. "They're a little old. May not help much."

"It's something. It'll give us an edge." Iruka held out his hand and took one, swallowing it dry. "You too."

"Mah, you're so pushy, Sensei." Still, Kakashi swallowed his pill obediently and held up his hands. "See, it's gone."

"You are incorrigible," Iruka said.

"And you're sexy when you use big words," Kakashi replied with a leer.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

It turned out the soldier pills were older than Kakashi had thought, because while the effects lasted for about twelve hours, they rapidly began to wear off. Iruka made a mental note to pack new ones when he got home.

They were travelling as fast as they could – which, in the condition they were in, was about genin speed. Iruka had refused to let Kakashi carry him any further and they were leaping through the trees together, one keeping point while the other hung back a few paces, guarding the rear. They were now well into Fire Country, but they'd decided not to take chances. Ninja who let down their guard ended up as dead ninja, and regret wasn't useful if you'd had your throat slit.

Iruka watched as Kakashi stumbled slightly on the branch, and then he seemed to simply crumple like a rag doll, plummeting off the branch. Iruka froze with shock – he'd never seen Kakashi like this and for a moment refused to believe what he was seeing.

_Shit!_ Iruka's body moved and he dived off the branch, dropping quickly, following Kakashi's fall. There was a flash of green and – orange – from below and Iruka thought he heard the words, '_Dynamic Entry_!' before Kakashi was caught by Gai.

Iruka didn't think he'd ever been so happy to see someone. He executed a tuck and a roll, and landed hard on his feet on the ground, gracelessly, falling forward onto his hands. Iruka felt the wound in his side reopen and he gritted his teeth against the pain, trying to ignore the sudden warm stickiness of blood he could feel against the bandages.

"Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka looked up, surprised to see Sakura. After a few moments Iruka let her help him up, all the while feeling totally bemused. _What the hell is going on and why are Gai and Sakura here?_

"Is Kakashi okay?" he gasped out around the pain.

Sakura looked over her shoulder. "Yes, Gai-sensei caught him before he fell too far."

Iruka nodded, feeling almost dizzy with relief – or perhaps pain, it was hard to tell. _Poor Kakashi, he's going to be unimpressed Gai saved him when he wakes up._ "Good. I thought for a moment… "

Sakura grinned knowingly and helped Iruka sit down, leaning him back against the tree trunk. "Let me look at your injuries."

Iruka let Sakura fuss, lifting up Kakashi's spare shirt to examine his injuries, all the while keeping one eye on Kakashi, who was laid out on the ground next to a crouching Gai. Warm energy poured into Iruka's wound and he could feel himself relaxing as the healing took effect, knitting the wound back together.

"I'll heal the rest of your injuries when we reach Konoha," Sakura said. "This should help for now."

"Thank you, Sakura-chan."

Iruka drifted for a moment, wallowing shamelessly in the fact he was surrounded by familiar faces, and safe. He hadn't wanted to admit exactly how worried he had been about Kakashi's chakra depletion, instead choosing to focus on both of them getting home in one piece.

Iruka stirred against the tree trunk, shifting to get a better position. "How did you find us, Sakura?" he asked.

"Team Kakashi was dispatched at the same time Kakashi himself was informed of your situation," she explained.

"_Team_ Kakashi?" Iruka looked around, but could see no sign of Naruto, or Sai.

Sakura smiled knowingly. "Sai and Naruto are keeping lookout, just in case you wondered about the lack of noise, or arguing."

Iruka grinned. "Ah, long gone are the days of bickering. Everyone really has grown up; I can't believe you are all jounin in your own rights. I still expect Naruto to come barreling in and disrupt everything, and Sai to be stand-offish and aloof."

"People change, sensei," Sakura said with an answering smile. She glanced over her shoulder. "Even Kakashi-sensei."

Iruka detected a hint of a smile and a knowing look directed his way in regards to the subject matter. "Oh?" he said warily.

"Hmm. I think you are both good for each other," Sakura whispered so nobody could overhear. "There, that should do." She wrapped new bandages around Iruka's chest and side with an efficiency born of much practice. "We can move you properly now, and get Kakashi-sensei back to Konoha. Tsunade-sama is going to throw a fit when she sees what he's done to his chakra reserves."

Iruka climbed to his feet, glad not to feel his injury pulling painfully when he moved. "Sakura? How is it that Gai is leading Team Kakashi?"

"It's just for this mission," she replied. "Gai happened to be in the mission room when we were summoned by Tsunade-sama."

"Why is it Kakashi never leads Team Kakashi? I've always wondered that."

Sakura laughed. "That's a good question. Perhaps you should ask Kakashi-sensei when we've returned home."

Iruka watched as Gai hoisted Kakashi onto his back, arms hanging loosely over Gai's shoulders. Iruka smiled; both he and Kakashi were alive, although not in peak condition. His genin team was also safe, and Iruka was surrounded by those he cared about.

…And he was going to spend _years_ bugging Kakashi about Gai having to carry him home. _Again_.

All in all, life was good.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X


	11. Chapter 11

Iruka drifted on the cusp of waking, too comfortable to go to the trouble of actually waking up properly. He turned onto his back and only then did he feel the light caress of warm hands on his hips and a hot mouth against his hipbone.

Iruka's brain struggled briefly for clarity, but happily gave up when soft lips moved across his navel, pausing for a moment. Since Iruka's brain was on hiatus, his body took over and he wriggled his hips just enough to get the point across. Hot puffs of breath caressed his heated skin and it was apparent Kakashi was laughing, even if Iruka couldn't hear him.

Kakashi's hands tightened on Iruka's hipbones and his hot tongue licked a trail from the base of Iruka's erect cock to the tip, swirling around the head before sucking hard.

"Ah!" Iruka bucked upward in surprise, chasing the pleasure. He fisted his hands in the sheets and stared down the length of his body, panting softly. Kakashi looked like he'd been caught with a stolen lollipop, but his only response was to suck harder and take in more of Iruka's erection. His cheeks hollowed and his lips stretched to accommodate Iruka's length, and Iruka could almost see a hint of a self-satisfied smile.

Kakashi began to move his head, and his eyes shut in concentration. One hand drifted over the sensitive skin of Iruka's inner thighs and cupped his balls, massaging them gently. Iruka could feel his desire building but he couldn't quite take his eyes off the sight of Kakashi. Iruka braced his feet on the mattress and tried to breathe, but the pleasure was building quickly. Damn Kakashi; he knew just how to push Iruka over the edge – fast.

"Oh god," Iruka muttered. Kakashi opened his eyes again and swallowed Iruka's cock almost to the base, then pulled back to the tip. His other hand circled the base of Iruka's cock and began to stroke lazily. Iruka began to rock his hips in time with Kakashi's rhythm, feeling hot desire pooling in his gut. He was getting off more on the fact Kakashi was watching him than the actual act itself, and Kakashi knew it, judging by the look on his face.

Just when the ache of desire had changed into a sharp curl of lust, and Iruka was poised on the edge, teetering, Kakashi pulled back. Iruka let out a strangled groan as his hips bucked. His orgasm peaked and Iruka threw his head back, fists tightening in the sheets when his body didn't get the stimulation it needed to push him over completely.

He slumped back on the mattress, panting, mindless with lust and frustration. "You… you –"

"Hmm," Kakashi said with a grin. "I do like you when you're like this, Iruka. So needy."

Iruka stared down at Kakashi, who was still holding him in place, hands pressed to his hips. Slowly, Kakashi moved his head, lips parting just enough for his pink tongue to swipe across the tip of Iruka's cock. Pleasure buzzed through Iruka and he felt his breathing quicken at the sight of Kakashi, his lips swollen and a smear of clear pre-come across his cheek.

"_Fuck_." Iruka was defeated and he knew it.

Kakashi smirked and crawled his way up Iruka's body, placing a hand on either side of Iruka's waist. He dipped his hips, his hard, slicked cock sliding against Iruka's, and he leaned down for a kiss.

Iruka had expected Kakashi to be demanding – it had been a while since they'd had the time for sex what with injuries, missions, genin teams and general lack of privacy with village life. But Kakashi's kiss almost broke Iruka; it was incredibly gentle and exploratory, deepening slowly with no hint of urgency, a reaffirmation of their relationship and how they felt about each other. Kakashi was not one for discussing feelings or being wordy; words were often insincere. Iruka didn't need grand gestures or explanations when he could experience a kiss like this one.

Iruka's hands gripped Kakashi's biceps as the kiss deepened. He needed to ground himself in reality, in Kakashi. Kakashi rolled his hips, their bodies connecting, and Iruka spread his legs in invitation. Kakashi's erection slid between his legs, down the crack of his ass, and Iruka angled his hips, anticipation sending curls of pleasure up his spine.

One of Kakashi's hands caressed down Iruka's chest and side, over the newly healed scar, down across his hip and between his legs. Kakashi's knuckles brushed against Iruka's bare ass as he gripped his cock and pressed forward. Iruka pushed out, the slight ache of penetration welcomed like a familiar friend. Iruka didn't wait, but pushed back, sinking onto Kakashi's cock and taking in his whole length in one smooth motion.

Kakashi moaned into Iruka's mouth, tongue swirling against Iruka's, as if trying to get as deep as he could. Kakashi slid his hand under the small of Iruka's back to angle his body and thrust. They'd had sex lots of times, but it was nothing compared to this. They moved slowly, their bodies' slowly heating, sweat-damp skin against skin. Iruka couldn't touch enough of Kakashi; he wrapped his arms around Kakashi's neck and pulled him closer. Kakashi thrust deeply and slowly, over and over, touching that hungry spot buried inside Iruka that made him want to fly apart.

Iruka trailed his hand down Kakashi's spine to his lower back, flattening his palm, feeling Kakashi's muscles flex with every movement. "Harder," Iruka moaned, breaking the kiss long enough to speak.

Kakashi moaned in response and shifted, spreading his legs to get purchase. He kissed across Iruka's jaw line and Iruka captured his lips again, not wanting to part even for a moment, needing to feel the urgency of his breath, taste himself on Kakashi's tongue. He felt Kakashi start to tremble; felt the fine tremors shuddering through his body, the way his movements stiffened as he neared his peak.

Iruka focused on the fingers of Kakashi's hand digging into his lower back, the feel of his lips and tongue, the hard surge of his body rubbing against Iruka's trapped erection and the deep press of his thick cock in Iruka's ass. Iruka's passion was almost frantic; it crested in waves that grew in sync with Kakashi's thrusts until the pleasure was almost unbearable.

Iruka's orgasm was unexpected; it snapped though him, arching his back, sending his muscles clamping around Kakashi's cock, drawing a sharp, bitten-off cry from Kakashi at the sensation. Iruka rode the wave, head thrown back, while Kakashi's hot mouth sucked hard on his neck.

"Iruka, _fuck_. Too much, can't– " Kakashi kissed the corner of Iruka's mouth messily and thrust once, then again, his cock pulsing in Iruka's ass.

Iruka almost came again at the feeling of Kakashi's orgasm filling him. If they'd been in better shape, it might have been entirely possible. However they were supposed to be resting and _healing_.

_Fuck that_, Iruka's mind helpfully replied.

Iruka laid there, arms wrapped around Kakashi as his body slowly relaxed, the muscles losing their tenseness. He shifted and Kakashi rolled to one side, his cock sliding from Iruka's ass in the process.

"Are you dead?" Iruka asked, mildly concerned.

Kakashi shook his head. His breathing was still fast, but he managed to open his eyes enough to look at Iruka. "Wow."

Iruka grinned. "How do you feel?"

"Didn't 'wow' cover it?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow mischievously.

Iruka turned over so he was facing Kakashi, sliding an arm over Kakashi's hip and letting it rest there. "Hmm, we may have to do a repeat in a little while, just to make sure."

"I like your thinking." Kakashi leaned forward and claimed another lazy kiss that lasted long enough to make Iruka almost dizzy with returning lust.

"Kakashi?"

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you stay?" Iruka would have liked to have taken a moment to stick a kunai in his own head for blurting that one out. He had no idea where it had come from. However, he couldn't really unsay it, unless of course Kakashi chose to use his usual misdirection jutsu and ignore the comment.

"Stay?" Kakashi raised his head slightly. He wasn't frowning, Iruka noted with interest.

Iruka took a deep breath. He'd had enough time to think while Kakashi was recovering from chakra depletion in the hospital. "Yes, I mean – er, you could stay. Here. There's more than enough space and – "

"Mr. Ukki agrees with you." Kakashi looked incredibly serious, which worried Iruka slightly and derailed his thought process.

"Mr. Ukki?"

Kakashi cocked his thumb in the direction of the doorway. Iruka peered over Kakashi's shoulder, searching for whatever Kakashi might be referring to. It took him a moment to realize that Kakashi's plant, Mr. Ukki, was sitting on the table in the hallway.

"You brought Mr. Ukki over?" Iruka responded in an incredulous tone.

"Yes. This morning, while you were sleeping. He said he was concerned with the state of his cousins in your vegetable patch."

"My… _vegetable patch_?" Iruka was sure he was back in that genjustu for a few, short seconds.

Kakashi nodded. "I thought I might hang about in case he needs backup."

"You are not serious?"

"I've never been more serious." Kakashi leaned in to kiss Iruka again. He pulled away reluctantly, laying careful kisses over Iruka's lips and jaw, while Iruka continued to stare at Mr. Ukki in shock.

"You can stay, provided you make me coffee – and don't drink it."

"Ah, can you not smell the coffee I made earlier?" Kakashi said with a mischievous grin, lying back on the mattress. "Does it make you want to get up and have a cup, or perhaps stay in bed and ravish me instead?" He crossed his arms behind his head, still smirking at Iruka, as he stretched.

Iruka watched every muscle in Kakashi's torso stretch and flex and let his gaze wander down to the precariously placed sheet resting across his thighs. "Can we skip coffee?"

Kakashi lunged for Iruka, moving with his renowned incredible speed. Iruka was pinned beneath Kakashi before he had time to blink, or mourn for his morning coffee.

The end ;)

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Merry Christmas everyone!


End file.
